“This is an extraordinary achievement for Aspirus Wausau Hospital. It clearly illustrates the talent and dedication of our board members, physicians, employees, volunteers and community members,” hospital President Darrell Lentz said in a news release.

Darrell Lentz(Photo: Courtesy of Aspirus)

According to IBM Watson Health, if the performance benchmarks established by Aspirus Wausau Hospital and the other 2018 award-winning hospitals were achieved by all hospitals nationwide:

More than 102,000 additional lives could be saved.

More than 43,000 additional patients could avoid complications.

More than $4.4 billion in inpatient costs could be saved.

About 200,000 fewer discharged patients would be readmitted within 30 days.

Aspirus was one of four Wisconsin hospitals on this year's top 100 list. University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, and SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital, both in Madison, were honored, along with Lakeview Medical Center in Rice Lake.